Destination Europe Washington, DC, April 11, Welcoming Address

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1 Destination Europe Washington, DC, April 11, 2013 Welcoming Address Thank you all very much for joining us today. My name is Andrea Noske and I am the Head of the Science and Technology Section at the German Embassy. In this function, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you on behalf of the Embassy to the German part of this Destination Europe conference. I have one central message for today's meeting, namely: It is worth coming to Germany. Germany is the number one location for research in Europe. Germany s unique scientific tradition and great variety of research offer ideal conditions for excellent scientists from all over the world. We all know that the global competition for talent is growing. And we all know that internationally competitive research

2 capacities are of crucial importance for a nation s future. Therefore, we want to continue to motivate you to spend part of your career in Germany. As you will learn from my colleagues Max Vögler and Manfred Schwab, more and more German research institutions have built a culture of welcome: Foreign guests are supported with individual advice before and during their stay in Germany, and also many years later a close and sustainable networking provides for a continuous and valuable relationship. Why are you so important for us? First, knowledge and research are by far the most important resources in our country, which has few natural resources and whose industry must continue to be successful on the basis of relatively high wage levels. Second, today, science and research can only be excellent if they have an international focus. However, the decision for or against spending part of one s career abroad is a decision which a scientist takes primarily for subjective reasons. What, then, can a scientist coming to Germany today expect? In other words: What conditions for research and life will you find in Germany? 2

3 Education and research are of the highest priority for the Federal Government. The Federal Government is thus adhering to the objective of spending ten per cent of GDP on education and research in In view of developments in financial policy in recent years, during this legislative term Education and Research got additional 12 Billion Euros in spite of Germany s debt brake which has led to budget cuts in all ministries all but one! In other words, we are keeping our budget under control while at the same time mobilizing more funds for research and education. This establishes a stable and transparent material basis for scientists in Germany. As regards the German science system, the Federal Government recently started several groundbreaking initiatives to further strengthen Germany s level of excellence: Creative ideas bear fruit when they are encouraged and promoted in various ways: The exceptional diversity of the German research system is the result of Germany s federal structure and outstanding scientific traditions developed over the centuries. The unique system rests essentially on three pillars: public-sector research including universities and 3

4 universities of applied sciences, private sector research and research in non-university research institutions. With the High-Tech Strategy and the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation, the Federal Government is investing more in research and development than ever before. The Initiative for Excellence is turning Germany s best universities into top research universities. Also unique in Germany is the brand new Academic Freedom Act, which grants research institutions more freedom and flexibility when allocating their funds, which will lead to greater effectiveness, efficiency and increased target orientation. In fact, Germany's achievements in innovation have risen steadily over the past years. In terms of exporting researchintensive products, world market patents, or academic publications, Germany is among the world leaders. Actual statistics shows that around 12 % of all research and development intensive products traded worldwide come from Germany. The number of Germany's academic publication in relation to population has passed that of the USA. Every seventh patent has its roots in Germany. This development clearly shows that institutions of higher education and research institutes have been able to significantly increase their performance in recent years. And they are attractive, too. In the 4

5 last acadamic year 250,000 foreign students attended German Universities. Every fourth Euro invested in industry-related R&D in Germany comes from foreign companies, who set up businesses in Germany. Summing up, I am convinced that you will see that the entire research and education community in Germany very much welcome international researchers! And now, I am pleased to give the floor to my colleagues from the German Research Foundation and the German Cancer Research Center. Thank you! Contact information: Andrea Noske Minister-Counselor Head of Section Science and Technology German Embassy 2300 M Street N.W. Ste 300 Washington, DC phone (202) fax (202) wiss-1@wash.diplo.de Visit us at - a Win-Win-Win Solution 5

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